Tentacles vs. Chains
That afternoon, at the Senju residence.
"I wonder what Teacher Mito suddenly wants from me."
Natsuhiko was walking along the cobblestone path toward the courtyard, muttering to himself.
Today was Saturday, and the Ninja Academy was closed, so Natsuhiko had initially planned to spend the entire day holed up in his basement, continuing his research on curse marks.
After all, Danzo had already planted that witch in his tavern, so he must be plotting something against him.
So the sooner Natsuhiko completed his research on the curse marks, the sooner he would have a weapon to counter Danzo, and he could finally put his mind at ease.
Unfortunately, just as he was deeply engrossed in his research, he suddenly received a message from Kushina through the bracelet, saying that Teacher Mito wanted to see him. So, he had no choice but to put aside his research for the time being and come over to see what was going on.
Soon, Natsuhiko arrived at the courtyard of the Senju residence.
As soon as he entered, he saw the back of Teacher Mito dressed in a red cheongsam.
She was standing in the middle of the courtyard, gazing at a pomegranate tree not far away, still full of life even in winter.
It was said that Hashirama Senju planted this tree before his death, and it has grown tall and lush.
Natsuhiko silently marvelled at this and then took a few steps forward to greet Mito.
"Teacher Mito..."
But before Natsuhiko could finish speaking, four golden chakra chains shot out from Mito's back with a "whoosh," flying toward him in a rapid formation!
Adamantine Sealing Chains!?
Natsuhiko's pupils instantly contracted, and a huge question mark popped up in his mind.
This was a secret technique of the Uzumaki clan. Why would Teacher Mito suddenly attack him without any reason?
Although Natsuhiko was confused, he didn't just stand there foolishly. His figure blurred as he dodged the attack of the four chains.
Noticing that her sneak attack had failed, Mito slowly retracted the chains and turned to Natsuhiko with a smile.
"Oh? Natsuhiko, you said you're not good at fighting, but your reactions are pretty quick."
It's like Naruto being evil in lectures; isn't it reasonable that I'm not good at fighting?
Natsuhiko inwardly grumbled just as he was about to speak, but then Mito continued:
"But that was just a small test. Now I'm going to get serious."
As soon as she finished speaking, the four golden chains emerged from her back again, swiftly flying around the courtyard and attacking Natsuhiko from all directions, even faster than before!
As expected, just as Mito had said, she hadn't been severe earlier!
This time, Natsuhiko couldn't afford to be as relaxed as before. His agile figure darted around the courtyard, but he couldn't evade the chains' pursuit.
He quickly realised that the chains were continually compressing the space for dodging, and if he didn't take action soon, it was only a matter of time before he was hit!
"Teacher Mito, did I do something wrong to make you angry?"
Natsuhiko made a last-ditch effort.
"Of course not," Mito replied with a cheerful smile. Her control of the chains continued without pause, and she relentlessly attacked Natsuhiko.
Of course, she couldn't admit that she was angry because Natsuhiko had transferred his affections to Kushina.
After all, she was the one who told Natsuhiko to take his time and not rush.
She couldn't blame him for coming to a conclusion she didn't like, right?
But today, Mito has done many things that went against her principles.
Not only had she broken her promise to Tsunade and revealed that unspeakable secret to Kushina, but she had also encouraged Kushina to use the Yin Seal in such a dubious way.
And the real culprit? None other than Natsuhiko, this kid!
So if she didn't let him suffer a little, Mito felt that the frustration bottled up inside her would never subside.
Of course, she couldn't say any of this out loud, so she just smiled and explained:
"It's nothing, really."
"I just realised I haven't given you any pointers on combat yet, so I thought I'd give it a try on a whim."
Mito's explanation wasn't entirely untrue; she had indeed been wanting to see Natsuhiko's combat abilities for a while.
After all, proficiency in sealing techniques didn't equate to combat prowess.
If he weren't strong enough, he wouldn't be able to protect Kushina.
But in the midst of this sparring, if she, an elderly woman, accidentally hit a bit too hard, it would be understandable and logical, right?
Besides being skilled in the Yin Seal, she was also very adept at medical ninjutsu, so even if Natsuhiko got hurt, she could just heal him, correct?
She could even repeat the process a few times...
At this point, Natsuhiko could vaguely sense Mito's malicious intent and couldn't help but grumble inwardly:
Why is it that when you act on a whim, I'm the one who gets beaten up?
Just because you're a teacher, you think you're all that!
But seeing Mito's eager expression, Natsuhiko knew that if he didn't show some skill, she wouldn't let him off easily.
Natsuhiko's expression grew more serious. He quickly used the Body Flicker Technique to temporarily escape the chains' encirclement, seizing the opportunity to say:
"Since you're so interested, Teacher Mito, please give me your guidance."
With that, he suddenly clasped his hands together, and four tentacles, made up of segments of arms, emerged from his back, rushing toward the incoming chains.
Boom!
In the next moment, the white tentacles and the golden chains clashed violently!
Boom, boom, boom...!!
A series of dense white smoke exploded at the points of collision!
Clearly, Natsuhiko's arm shadow clones were no match for the Adamantine Sealing Chains. They couldn't withstand the impact and exploded one after another.
Fortunately, these chakra arms were directly connected to Natsuhiko, so even if they were destroyed, the chakra loss was minimal.
Therefore, Natsuhiko managed to resist the onslaught of the Adamantine Sealing Chains by continuously creating new arms at the ends of the tentacles, relying on sheer numbers.
For a moment, the battle in the courtyard reached a strange stalemate.
The four tentacles and four chakra chains were clashing fiercely at various points in the courtyard.
Yet Natsuhiko and Mito stood motionless, gazing at each other as if they were two rocks in the midst of a raging sea.
This scene made Natsuhiko want to complain if he had wandered onto the wrong set of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure"...
Meanwhile, Mito looked at Natsuhiko's tentacles, which were actually able to hold their own against her Adamantine Sealing Chains, and a hint of admiration flashed in her eyes.
"So this is what Kushina was talking about..."
Mito had heard from Kushina about the battle between her and Natsuhiko's tentacles in the small forest, so she had some knowledge of this "Flower Shadow Clone Technique."
But now, seeing it with her own eyes, Mito couldn't help but marvel at how Shadow Clone Jutsu could be used in such a way.
This was something even Tobirama, the creator of Shadow Clone Jutsu, or the Uzumaki clan, who were experts in the technique, had never thought of.
The principle behind this Flower Shadow Clone Technique was simple: connecting the parts of shadow clone bodies to one's meridian system, allowing them to continue existing.
Although the principle seemed straightforward, Mito knew that to perform this jutsu, the user must fully understand the workings of the Shadow Clone Jutsu and possess extraordinary chakra control.
Mito even suspected that Natsuhiko's understanding of the Shadow Clone Jutsu had surpassed its inventor, Tobirama.
Moreover, this ability to grow various body parts as shadow clones had limitless potential, just like the Shadow Clone Jutsu itself!
As she watched Natsuhiko's tentacles, which were similar to her Adamantine Sealing Chains, Mito couldn't help but smile slyly.
It just so happened that this was the perfect opportunity to give Natsuhiko a proper lesson...
(End of Chapter)
P.S
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